Broadstairs’ biggest
Jackey Baker's Recreation Ground
Playing field · 250 m outside town
17 ha (41 acres)0.5 km of path
23 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi south-westfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: John Fielding from Norwich, UK · CC BY 2.0BOutdoors Grade
Outdoors in Broadstairs · parks, paths & countryside
Broadstairs is on the coast, on the King Charles III England Coast Path
The sea makes up 64% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Broadstairs add up to 1.7 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Footpaths add up to 88 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 3.1 for every square kilometre. Broadstairs grades B for the outdoors: #48 of 87 in Kent. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
1.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
76%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
88 km
3.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Kent Downs National Landscape
The sea
64%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Broadstairs?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast64% of the area within 5 km is sea; 16 beaches mapped.Hills with a view5 mapped viewpoints, about 5× as many per resident as the typical town its size.On a National TrailThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes through.Less park per person1.7 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Broadstairs’ strongest suit is the sea, followed by its views. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Broadstairs grades B for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Broadstairs, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B
Better than 58% of UK towns#48 of 87 in Kent · 39th of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space1.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
36out of
100
100
A park within a walk76%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
40out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of
100
100
Footpaths3.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
62out of
100
100
The sea64%of the area within 5 km
100out of
100
100
Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
Towns its size
Broadstairs is 39th of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 23,800 to 28,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Broadstairs3.1
Towns its size3.4
Kent towns2.6
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Broadstairs1.7
Towns its size2.5
Kent towns2.3
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Broadstairs76%
Towns its size83%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
Broadstairs falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 45 of the 59 others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire | A+ | 5.7 | 96% | 3.7 | 1% |
| 2 | Stroud Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.6 | 79% | 5.8 | 70% |
| 3 | Falmouth Cornwall | A | 1.3 | 96% | 3.5 | 41% |
| 4 | Sevenoaks Kent | A | 8.1 | 76% | 3.8 | 70% |
| 5 | Stalybridge Greater Manchester | A | 5 | 82% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 6 | Newport Isle of Wight | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3.8 | 37% |
| 7 | Ash and Ash Vale Surrey | A | 4.3 | 72% | 5.4 | 20% |
| 8 | Huntingdon Cambridgeshire | A | 5.7 | 99% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 9 | Lancing and Sompting West Sussex | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3 | 37% |
| 10 | Burntwood Staffordshire | A− | 5.3 | 81% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 11 | Larkfield Kent | A− | 5.6 | 75% | 3.4 | 27% |
| 12 | Rickmansworth Hertfordshire | A− | 2.9 | 81% | 4.4 | 11% |
| 13 | Ewell Surrey | A− | 7.5 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 14 | Droylsden Greater Manchester | A− | 5.2 | 95% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 15 | Felixstowe Suffolk | A− | 2 | 88% | 1.9 | 28% |
| 16 | Tadworth and Epsom Downs Surrey | A− | 3.4 | 65% | 5.3 | 16% |
| 17 | Heanor Derbyshire | A− | 4.2 | 92% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 18 | Gorleston-on-Sea Norfolk | A− | 1.4 | 81% | 3.2 | 17% |
| 19 | Little Hulton Greater Manchester | A− | 8.6 | 87% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 20 | East Grinstead West Sussex | A− | 1.6 | 87% | 3.7 | 58% |
| 21 | Wilmslow Cheshire | A− | 4.4 | 90% | 4 | 0% |
| 22 | Newton-le-Willows Merseyside | A− | 5.2 | 99% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 23 | Ryde Isle of Wight | A− | 1.7 | 76% | 2.6 | 19% |
| 24 | Daventry Northamptonshire | A− | 4.1 | 99% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 25 | Herne Bay Kent | B+ | 2.3 | 83% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 26 | Portishead Somerset | B+ | 2 | 82% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 27 | Haverhill Suffolk | B+ | 2.4 | 91% | 5 | 0% |
| 28 | Longbenton Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.3 | 80% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 29 | Thatcham Berkshire | B+ | 1.9 | 87% | 3.1 | 27% |
| 30 | Fleetwood Lancashire | B+ | 2.7 | 92% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 31 | Cheadle Hulme Greater Manchester | B+ | 3.9 | 80% | 4.3 | 0% |
| 32 | Bradley Stoke Gloucestershire | B+ | 2 | 93% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 33 | Oadby Leicestershire | B+ | 3.7 | 92% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Seaford East Sussex | B+ | 0.8 | 73% | 2.8 | 52% |
| 35 | Darwen Lancashire | B | 2.2 | 89% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 36 | Newton Aycliffe County Durham | B | 2.1 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Rugeley Staffordshire | B | 1.2 | 94% | 2.7 | 37% |
| 38 | Witham Essex | B | 1.9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 39 | Broadstairs Kent | B | 1.7 | 76% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 40 | Atherton Greater Manchester | B | 3.8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 41 | Rhyl Clwyd | B | 1 | 84% | 2.2 | 7% |
| 42 | Sudbury Suffolk | B | 3.8 | 77% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 43 | Droitwich Spa Worcestershire | B | 2.5 | 84% | 3.8 | 0% |
| 44 | Thetford Norfolk | B− | 2.9 | 65% | 5.1 | 0% |
| 45 | St Austell Cornwall | B− | 1.2 | 71% | 2.5 | 7% |
| 46 | Ashton-in-Makerfield Greater Manchester | B− | 2.6 | 93% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 47 | Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | B− | 3.3 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Hindley Greater Manchester | C+ | 2.5 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 49 | Coseley West Midlands | C+ | 1.4 | 84% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 50 | Newquay Cornwall | C+ | 1.6 | 75% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 51 | Horley Surrey | C+ | 1.9 | 84% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 52 | Market Harborough Leicestershire | C+ | 1.9 | 94% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 53 | Ascot Berkshire | C+ | 3.6 | 56% | 3 | 0% |
| 54 | Walton-on-Thames Surrey | C | 1.6 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 55 | Golborne Greater Manchester | C | 3 | 66% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 56 | Frome Somerset | C | 1.3 | 78% | 2.4 | 9% |
| 57 | Wickersley and Bramley South Yorkshire | C | 1.7 | 77% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 58 | Wickford Essex | C | 2.4 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 59 | Ormskirk Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 60 | Wisbech Cambridgeshire | D | 1.2 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Broadstairs’ built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Broadstairs
The biggest is Jackey Baker's Recreation Ground, 17 ha (41 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 7 named parks by size: 47 ha (117 acres) and 4 km of path
Parks & gardens 9.8 haPlaying fields 37 ha
The two biggest, Jackey Baker's Recreation Ground and King George VI Memorial Park, are 52% of the named green space.
King George VI Memorial Park
Park or garden
8.1 ha (20 acres)0.3 km of path
11 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi southfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Northdown Park
Playing field · 300 m outside town
11 ha (27 acres)0.4 km of path
15 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi northfrom the centre
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St Peter's Recreation Ground
Playing field
6.7 ha (17 acres)1.0 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Broadstairs
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Victoria Gardens
Park or garden
1.7 ha (4 acres)1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi eastfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Memorial Recreation Ground
Playing field
3.2 ha (8 acres)0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Broadstairs
Playground
Directionsto the nearest entrance
St Peter's Village Green
Park or garden
0.1 ha (0 acres)
Centralin the middle of Broadstairs
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Broadstairs residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (76%)Further (24%)
Broadstairs76%
Towns its size83%
Kent towns78%
All UK towns83%
About 6,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 43 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 600 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 11 mi away
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Broadstairs is on the King Charles III England Coast Path
88 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Broadstairs and the kilometre around it, 3.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalLocal
King Charles III England Coast Path: Ramsgate to Whitstable11.3 km
Turner & Dickens Walk5.2 km
King Charles III England Coast Path: Folkestone to Ramsgate0.6 km
The King Charles III England Coast Path, a national route, passes Broadstairs. Close to home, the Turner & Dickens Walk has 5 km of local walk within 2 km of the town.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Broadstairs: May to September
The town’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 42 | 36 | 37 | 44 | 52 | 50 | 52 | 47 | 77 | 73 | 64 |
March is the driest month (36 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 77 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 14 nights a year. The climate in Broadstairs →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Broadstairs
64% of the area within 5 km of Broadstairs is sea. 16 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 8 with a name.
Stone Bay0.0 mi from town
DirectionsViking Bay0.0 mi from town
DirectionsKingsgate Bay0.2 mi from town
DirectionsJoss Bay0.2 mi from town
DirectionsRamsgate Sands0.2 mi from town
DirectionsWalpole Bay1.4 mi from town
DirectionsRamsgate Western Undercliffe1.6 mi from town
DirectionsMargate Main Sands1.8 mi from town
DirectionsThe King Charles III England Coast Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
5 viewpoints and 43 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK town its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
5Viewpoints4.7× towns its size1Waterfalls43Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size2Dog parks1Campsites5Slipways
Every named place, with directions
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 43
Memorial Recreation Play Areain town
DirectionsPierremont Park Play Areain town
DirectionsSt Peter's Recreation Play Areain town
DirectionsVincent Close Play Areain town
DirectionsPirates Playground0.1 mi from town
DirectionsKing George Ⅵ Play Area0.1 mi from town
DirectionsJackey Bakers Play Area0.3 mi from town
DirectionsNorthdown Park Play Ground0.4 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 35 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 2
Plus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 5
Plus 5 slipways without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
RamsgateMargateCliffs EndMinster (Thanet)SandwichAsh (Dover)Broadstairs
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadstairs | B | 1.7 | 76% | 0% |
| Ramsgate 1.7 mi | B | 1.2 | 89% | 0% |
| Margate 2.8 mi | B | 1.8 | 88% | 0% |
| Cliffs End 3.4 mi | A | 6.9 | 100% | 0% |
| Minster (Thanet) 4.9 mi | C | 2.3 | 64% | 0% |
| Sandwich 7.4 mi | C+ | 2.1 | 51% | 0% |
| Ash (Dover) 8.5 mi | C | 2.3 | 72% | 0% |
Cliffs End, 3.4 miles away, grades A, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Cliffs End has at least twice Broadstairs’ green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Broadstairs
What is the biggest park in Broadstairs?
Jackey Baker's Recreation Ground, 17 ha (41 acres), just outside the built-up area. King George VI Memorial Park (8.1 ha) is second. 7 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Broadstairs near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 11 mi south of the town’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Broadstairs?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the King Charles III England Coast Path: Ramsgate to Whitstable, Turner & Dickens Walk and King Charles III England Coast Path: Folkestone to Ramsgate.
How many people in Broadstairs live near a park?
76% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Broadstairs?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Broadstairs good for walking?
For paths, yes: 3.1 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 62% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 36% (1.7 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Broadstairs’ overall grade.
Sources
Where Broadstairs’ outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik, 16 October 2026.
- Historic parks, listed buildings and monuments: Historic England, National Heritage List for England, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: ONS Census 2021 output areas.
- Grade: TownRatings’ Outdoors Grade, ranked against UK towns only.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.